Kristaps Porzingis officially out Saturday vs. Grizzlies

Update, Dec. 4 — As expected, Porzingis has been ruled out for Saturday’s game against the Grizzlies. The Mavericks want to be cautious with their big man and are holding him out in the second game of a back-to-back set.

Update, Dec. 3 — Porzingis has been officially ruled out for Friday’s contest. He was listed as doubtful and unlikely to play, so this was always the expected outcome.

Update, Dec. 1 — Porzingis has been upgraded to probable for Wednesday night’s game vs. the Pelicans. He injured his ankle on Monday night in the loss to the Cavs, but it appears it’s nothing serious.

Dallas Mavericks PF Kristaps Porzingis is questionable to play in Wednesday night’s game vs. the New Orleans Pelicans due to an ankle injury. Porzingis was injured in Monday night’s loss to the Cleveland Cavaliers and did not return. Willie Cauley-Stein has already been ruled out due to personal reasons.

With Porzingis out, chances are the Mavericks will start Maxi Kleber in the front court against New Orleans. The Mavs could also go the popular route and start Boban Marjanovic at center in short spurts while switching between Kleber and Reggie Bullock in the rotation with Dorian Finney-Smith. Either way, we’ll see if Porzingis is able to play. He’s dealt with lower-body injuries in his career and Dallas could be cautious with the big man so this doesn’t become more serious.

The Mavericks are starting to falter, losing five of the past six games heading into Wednesday night. Luka Doncic is losing steam in the NBA MVP race and new coach Jason Kidd is showing again why he probably shouldn’t be coaching in the NBA. Porzingis being out will only become an excuse for Kidd’s lack of coaching chops. His rotations have been erratic early on in the season and are unpredictable. We’ll see how the Mavs respond if Porzingis is out against the Pelicans.